Thread: what to eat/drink when you shouldn't be eating

I'm trying to lose the last 8-10lbs or so 2 years post baby. I'm actually down to my pre preggo weight and have been for a while but I have pudge in my midsection. I also have braces ..g.: so eating the raw veggies with hummus or just plain isn't possible for me now.

I'm snacking on:

popcorn (herbed with nutritional yeast) i shouldn't be with braces
steamed pears
bananas
cheese sticks
yogurt
miso soup (instant packets LOVE the red)
applesauce

I'm a sugar lover and am trying to replace sugar with fruit if i can. I also tend to love anything in a brine...like pickled garlic, dilly beans, olives etc....

What low cal healthy snacks do you like????

For zero cal beverages when you need to feel full but don't want the calories: mineral water, hot broth, green tea.

You can steam those veggies and still eat them with hummus. :) Nuts are good snacks, too...cashews are the only nuts I will eat, but most people tend to like a variety. And if you like pickled things, try pickled okra! It's quite yummy and not at all slimy like people tend to think of with okra. I like to rinse mine before I eat it to cut down on the salt content. I will also sometimes make chicken salad using fat-free sour cream instead of mayo and have that with a couple of whole wheat crackers or toast...very filling and protein rich.

Hi! While I'm no nutritionist, I would think that to loose the last bit you might need to try to switch it up. It looks like your current snacks are heavy in carbs (the sugars from the fruit) and sodium. Try switching to steamed veggies and high protien like eggs or a protien shake. I like the whey from TJ's. Also, if you go the nut route I say go only raw and not salted. When I switched to vegan I expected to loose weight but I over-indulged on nuts and gained!
But here are my fave low calorie snacks:
-egg whites (miss those!) and hard boiled eggs
-Shaklee brand "cinch" bars... Environmentaly sustainable company!
-carrots and hummus
-blueberries
-broccoli, raw and steamed
-freeze dried fruit, though I have a tendancy to eat the whole bag lol
-Tex Mex veggie burgers

good luck!

For what it is worth I am a sugar lover also and like the following however I always have the attitude that a little of a variety and altering your activities versus deprivation has always worked better for me for weight control (but maybe that's because I have sucky willpower!):

1% milk with one or two tablespoons of Gheridelli cocoa and choc mix
apricot/applesauce or berry/applesauce cups
Baked apples with a touch of maple syrup/agave mix, brown sugar and a small amount of dried cherries, butter and nuts in the middle
hot milk with a teaspoon of vanilla or flavored syrup (almond roca is a favorite
Either 1 cup of high fiber cereal, 1/2 cup granola or 1 packet instant oatmeal (I have a ginger, cranberry one I like a lot)
reduced sugar hot apple cider
cottage cheese with pineapple cups
definitely berries when you can get them
decaf herbal tea with a bit of specialty honey (raspberry or loganberry is good)
How about a touch of indulgence by placing 1 oz high quality melted dark chocolate on top of that steamed pear with a dash of cardomom and cinnamon? Yum.. I am going to make one of these soon!
There are also some gourmet sorbets that have intense flavors so a little goes a long way from the company Ciao Bella (blood orange or Cabernet blackberry are my two favorites especially if I can eat it in a hot bubble bath)
I also like freeze dried fruit and get a lot of it at Trader Joe's here in CA however I also tend to eat the whole bag!
My honey just picked up cotton candy for me and I was shocked to see that one oz is about 2 1/2 cups is 50 calories if you need a real terrible sugar shock without going off the calorie bin..not high quality nutrition but may save you from a worse binge if you are anything like me with an occasional pure sugar thing (although I am sure the artificial color/flavor thing can't be good..LOL)

There are also multitudes of recipes I love on Cooking Light website and you can search low cal stews and soups to help fill you up and also desserts for two where you can have a touch of sweet without leftovers to tempt you.

Hope any of this is useful and that you enjoy yourself in all ways, Aunna

Maybe you should just quit snacking? if you are having healthy food with low GI and a little protein you should easily see your way through b'fast, lunch and dinner without needing a snack?

things with high fiber and high protein (whole grains, lowfat milk) and lots of water. sugar from fruit will do all the same things to your body as sugar from cookies or chocolate, the only difference is that fruit has vitamins in it. so if you have any blood sugar troubles, or if they run in your family, be careful not to OVERdo the fruit. (but of course keep eating it. is guud fo yew ^_^)
in theory you can eat whatever you want (and wont get stuck in your braces) if you do it in small enough portions. of course a small portion of french fries and a small portion of cookies here and there adds up very quickly.

Originally Posted by bul_bul_ksa

Maybe you should just quit snacking? if you are having healthy food with low GI and a little protein you should easily see your way through b'fast, lunch and dinner without needing a snack?

My blood sugar tends to drop without a small snack and my little one is still nursing...i think when he gives that up i'll require less calories. He's only at it once a day or so now.

Ah - I've never breastfed so no idea about all that but I know about unstable blood sugar, it's no fun. I find with blood sugar it's the things like having a coffee without something to eat alongside it that sends me in to a spiral.
How about splitting your 3 main meals into 5 smaller portions? I know some diets recommend eating smaller meals more often to maintain blood sugar.

I now realize where my denial is....SUGAR...I'm eating too much fruit to make up for my sugar cravings and that is still sugar. I am eating more sugar, carbs and dairy....I need more veggies into the mix. I tend to like sweet veggies like carrots...ARGH!!!! I do eat a lot of blueberries...I like them frozen with vanilla yogurt...I can sub to plain yogurt and add some agave necter and vanilla extract to help even out the sugar...it's mostly blueberries and very little yogurt. I can get 5lb boxes of chem free wild maine blueberries locally.....smoothies?

bul bul ksa - I do appreciate your suggestions! 5 smaller meals would work better for me I think. I'm eating 2 snacks, and 3 smallish meals but I can cut that down to 1 snack and 3 smallish meals??? I'll figure out the balance hopefully.

Thank you all for the great suggestions! I'll let you know what works for me. I plan on upping my tea intake and i'll make sure not to add honey : )

so basically you are looking for very low calory items, for snacks right?
I'd say lots and lots of fibrous vegetables, they will will fill you up and will have very low calories.
One of them is celery: I love it! celery and carrot sticks, you may dip them lightly in fat free ranch dressing, or fat free italian (even lower cals), or small amount of peanut butter, that will fill you up. Also I've been loving broccoli lately, very filling, I steam it, add some salt and eat it.

I started to do something weird, but it works for me:
I saute my salad. I make my salad as usual, but then, using a non stick spray ( 0 calories) i saute it in a frying pan. I don't even use salad dressing, and I used to not be able to eat without it. I cut up fresh herbs, like dill, parsley, sometimes cilantro or basil. Chop up some garlic, seasoning, and when it's done I feel like I am eating a full meal. In reality it's just a small bowl of salad, which would not fill me up otherwise.
Sometimes I sprinkle some grated mozarella cheese on, or just some finely grated parmesan cheese. you can add nuts, raisins and other stuff, but you can just keep it very clean :)

I love fruits, but vegetables are better because they don't have sugar.

and of course egg whites, with vegetables, it's very very low in calorie. I've been eating that for a month now and I can definitely the difference.